Gravel spreader



March 8, 1932. G G.i BRACKETT 1,848,308

GRAVEL SPREADER Filed March 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l March s, 1932. G, G, BRACKET vv1,848,308

GRAVEL SPREADER Filed March 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Geargeradre www i lse;

Patented Mar. s, 1932 GEORGE e. nmicxr'rfror nocHEsrER, WASHINGTON GRAVEL 'f SPREADER' Application led March-26, Y1930; Serial vBT01431005.;

Myinvention relates `to road working niaychineryyand)in particnilar to andevice for spreading-gravelfover roadsfn Inlthe maintenance. of gravel roads7 .it is VIA5 customary, toi employe road scraperrwhich scrapes `Ytheridgesrfrom the road'and removes theimat'erial down tol an even, hard 1`-oadbed.l

' The removedmaterial is deposited usually alongthecrown ofthe road as a ridge,-,and 10 this ridge must flater. bespread over thesurface. of .the j,road.. yVV'hilel itremains inthe road,it is a sourcezofannoyance andsome ydanger rto. traiicfand,thefmovement' of the e,

`r`scraperA bacliralongh theV ridge tei-spread it,

i 15 requires that trailictbe further,blocked;V with ythe possibility of accident to motoriststwho may noty observe lthek scraper in .the center offthe road, asifr.instance,y upon. rounding aY curve*A devices operating` asannit, wherebyl the ,gravel iwliich is removedlfroln :the road surfspread loverthe. scraped surface,A thus avoidf ing. the danger.. of. the gridge,l the. loss. of Ytime required?tolagainv traverse. the road. to spread it; and theidanger andfinterruption to traffcensuingromthis' spreadingaction n y It lis :also an: object to:spreadfthe-v removed gravelas aicushionlover the scrapedrsurfaoe most evenlyand perfectly, and with the minimumofinterruption for 'danger toztraiiic.;A I Itv .is 'a @further robj ect to 'provide aigravel spreader. for use in work upon. roads, containingadjiistments whieh enable it ato functionV perfectly and lto apply aneven cushion of material overthez scraped ,.surfa'ee, and a device which :proj eetsthe nfiiniimirny into *the :opposite tiraiiie lane, which is so .closely f cou-pled to the: tractorpusuallytheyscraper, that no additional danger ensues/f. from [its use conjunction Ltherewi-th.v other werds;k itf is i* my-v ob'jeetf to e so '.closely` couple the spreader! with th'ef` scraper .that an el oncoming motorist, who'inustfin any event'avoid the' scrape@ will, notfhave t'o watch additionall'y to preventcoll'isionlwtliA the spreader.

' It lids:V aneimp ortant object of invention I sential-features in thev combination (ofmy 'to provide. an assemblagel ofi road-Working'` faceeandpirled ai ridge is-y immediately y yly when it-belcoinesnecessary to remove it.

' further object: is@ to providea-fgravel spreader which isy adjustable'inan'gle and in.

elevation, and. one which can be easily .turned overV to permit it to be run-in' `the opposite direction, and so constructedfthat fthis turn'- ing overl may be accomplished by,f at vthe most,` two workmen; e e y Other objectsyand moreespecially such as relate to the structural detailsgofmy invention, r Will be. understood VYfroma .study ofthe speciii'cation, of the claims .terminating the l samer` and. of the accomp anyingV drawings, wherein 'my invention, is .shown .in aelform which: is at present preferred by me. YMy invention comprisesfthe novel parts andthe novel combination-and arrangement f ,thereofyas shown in the drawings, described 55 in the specification," and as will bee more particularly denedgby the claims `which termi- *natefthe same.

yFigurel is aview infplan showing-thees-- #i spreader with .-afroady scraper. l l

Figure 2is a. planview oflthesprea'der coupled to atractor member. t K n yFigure Bis a rear elevation of the spreader. :1.1

yFigure 4l isaside elevationof the spreader, 75 thenear wheel beingjremovedf f t v Figure 5 isA an elevation of the mold-board and spreader blade. f

Figure-(idea detail' inplan view oa modf ified Aforno ofholding m'eans for the vertica-lso adjustment. '1

By. referencetovFigurel, it can be seen thatthe scraperb'lade- Qfcarried upon-payee y hicle fwhichhis in its essence -a-tractor, indiv cated-at 90., isinCl-ined andisgso held 2rdown that-it cutsinto thefroad surface and removes the-high spots sothat there is lett behind'fit a surface.whichisscraped cleanfof loosema serial and which is substantiallyin one plane, 'E

that is tersayj without rutsfhollows' and chuclrholes. lThe removed material isi-def' Y positedlin a rid-ge, indicated bythe@ letterR,' and if. the usual practice is .ollowedzthis ridge R'bec'omes a menace to, traffic,Y especialit isfsometimesfthe practice tofcausea spread yer vehicles, to lfollow behind ,thescraper and Y to spreadfthis ridge but thisiinecessitates that. a (driver coming from the oppositefdif i rection must avoid notV only the scraper but also the following spreader, and it means thatdrivers coming from the same direction, because of the ridge and because of the separation between the two road-working vehicles, may not readily pass the group, and thus trafhc is considerably impeded and accidents may result from impatience on the part of drivers to pa-ss the road-working group.

Accordingly, I provide a spreader blade 1, which is carried upon a main frame 2, this being supported upon the wheels 3 andr30,

` include the material in the ridge R. To further assist in encompassing this ridge and distributing it, its leading end may be curved forwardly, as is indicated at 10.

The blade 1 is preferably formed in two parts, each identical, and supported upon a mold-board 11, which is provided with apertures at 12 and 13. The mold-board may be formed of severaly pieces 'secured together, andy in ythis way lor in any other suitable way the frame 2 is permitted to pass through the apertures 12 and 13. Journal bearings 14 and 15 are secured upon the mold-board adjacentthe apertures 12 and 13 respectively, and a pin 16 is received in these bearings and in bearings 24 and 25 respectively secured to the frame, and held thereto by the removable bolts 26, received in spaced holes 21 of the frame, whereby the mold-board and spreader blade may be adjusted'in angular position relative to the frame. v

The frame is supported upon two opposite wheels, as has been pointed out, but these wheels are not secured directly to the frame, but upon the outer or crank ends of shafts 31 and 32'respectively.v The crank arms 33 of these shafts are substantially equal in length, andmay be thrown into a'selected angular position by suitable means, such as the worm gears 3ak and 35 respectively, with which are engaged the worm pinions 36 and 37, journaled in the frame 2. The two shafts 31 and 32 are independent,"but preferably are aligned.' In order to enable the spreader blade 1 to extend between the wheels and transversely`r of theA frame, IV prefer that one of these shafts be short, as for instance, the shaft 31, and that'the other be longer, so that the worm gear 35 and the adjusting means, may be located at one side of the frame, preferably in advance of the spreader blade. The adjustment of these wheels 3 and 30 may be accomplished before the vehicle starts and the adjustment held by engaging a plate 38 (see Figure 6) with the squared end of the worm pinion shaft, or they may be adjusted during operation by the operator seated in the tractor 90, by means of extension shafts 39, which engage with the ends of the worm pinion shafts by a suitable universal connection, and which are supported in position for operation by the operator in a removable frame 22, secured to the forward part of the frame 2. This frame 22 may be secured in position by such means as the wing nuts 23, for a reason which will appear hereafter, making the frame readily removable. e

` The spreaderv blade 1, and the associated mold-board 11, comprise a total height approximately the same as the heightof wheels 3 or 30. By means Aof the adjustment permitted bythe crank arms 33, the wheels may be projected below the spreader blade to su port itsflower edge at any selected heig t above the hard surface of the scraped road. Furthermore, the entire spreader may turned over, resting, upon the wheel 30 and the inner end of the spreader blade, by two men at the most, once the frame 22 and the control shaft 39 havebeen Aremoved tem orarily. When thus reversed, as indicatedp in vdotted lines in Figure 2, it is ready to traverse thev road in the opposite direction, and this will be found of benefit where the facilities for turning around are not good. However, thedevice is so arranged and is so closely coupled to the tractor 90, by preference, that the tractor lmay turn around without uncoupling the spreader therefrom. f

' Because of the independent eontrol'of the elevation of the two wheels 3 and 30, the inner wheel 30, which will ride upon the cushion of gravel spread immediately in advance of it by the spreader blade, may be slightly higher than the outside wheel 3, which rests upon the hard-scraped roadway. y Adjustments in elevation of the spreader blade and of its angular position may be made at will to accommodate conditions as they are found, and the entire work of scraping and spreading gravel over the roadway may be accomplished by a 'single vehicle under the control of one or two men, with the minimum'of interruption or danger to'traiic. v

What I claim as my invention is :j

1. A gravel spreader comprising a frame, a pair of oppositely disposed supporting wheels therefor, a spreader blade of a height approximately e ual kto ythe lheight of said wheels, andexten ing angularly transversely of the frame, one end lying in advance of the wheelatk'that side,`and the other end lyinv behind lthehopposite wheel, and each edffe olf said blade` being formed and adapted for spreading, whereby the spreader may be turned over asa unit.

. spreader blade extending transversely of said Y 2. A gravel spreader comprising va frame, a short and a long crank shaft journaled in said frame and extending transversely thereof, a wheel upon the outer crank end of each shaft, a worm gear upon the inner end of each shaft, a worm pinion meshing therewith, and a spreader blade extending transversely of said frame from behind the short shaft and `in ad-V vance of the long shaft.

.3. A gravel spreader comprising a frame,

a short and a long crank shaft journaled in Y,

said frame and extending transversely thereof, a wheel upon the outer crank end of each shaft, a worm gear upon the inner end of each shaft, a worm pinion meshing therewith, a

frame-from behind the short shaft and in advance of the long shaft, and means for adjusting the angular position of the spreader blade. y

2 1.k A gravel spreader comprising a main frame, a pair of crank shafts journaled lin said frame and extending transversely thereof, a supporting wheel upon the outer crank end of each shaft, means at the inner end of each shaft for oscillating the same, a spreader blade extending'transversely of the frame,

and lying behind oneV wheel-and inadvance of the other, said blade beingof a height, and

formed on each edge, to permit the spreader `to be turned over to scrape with either edge,

. a removable frame securable upon said main s ment.

frame, and means supported in said remov able frame, and detaohahly connected to the shaft-oscillating means, for controlling the elevation of the main frame and scraper blade relative to the roadway, by an operator upon a tractor infadvanceof the spreader.

5. Agravel spreader comprising a frame havinga segmental portion at one side, supporting wheels at opposite sides of the frame,

a scraper blade extending diagonally across the frame and apertured at one end to pass `over the segmentalportion thereof, a pivotal support for the opposite end ofthe blade, at the center of curvature of the'seginental portion, and means to support the apertured end of the blade at selected points along the seg- 6. A gravel spreader comprising a frame having'a segmental portion at one side, ysupporting wheels at opposite sides of the frame, a scraper blade extending diagonally across the frame and apertured'at one end to pass n over thevsegmental portionthereof, a pivotal support for the opposite end of the'blade, at the center of curvature of the segmental portion, ya two-part bearing member, one part j beingk secured tothe bladeadjacent its aperture, and means to secure the other part at selected positions alongtheV segment. Signed at Olympia, Thurston Washington, this 19th day of March,1930.

Aeriioaefn G. BaAcxnrT. Y

County, 

